1. People and Culture CHINA NOTES #1

2.  China has the world’s largest population at over 1.3 billion.  One-Child Policy: Couples with only one child received benefits. POPULATION

4.  56 different ethnic groups live in China.  These include Mongols, Uighurs, Tibetans, and Kazakhs.  The language of Mandarin is spoken across the nation. ETHNIC GROUPS

5.  Mandarin uses ideograms, or characters that represent a thing or idea.  There are over 20,000 different characters. LANGUAGE

6.  Confucianism - Based on teachings of Confucius. -Stress the importance of ancestors. -Believed in a society based on laws. ANCIENT PHILOSOPHIES

7.  Daoism -Based on teachings of Laozi -Path to true happiness lies in a harmonious relationship with nature.

8.  Buddhism -Created by Siddhartha Gotama (Buddha). -Believe in reincarnation and karma.

9.  Communism -Communist states deny the existence of god and are atheist.  Communists destroyed many ancient temples after taking power.

10.  China has been a Communist nation since the 1940s.  China’s capital is Beijing,

11.  China has 3 of the 25 largest cities in the world, including: Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen

12.  Cantonese- features stir-fried dishes, which relies heavily on use of peanuts, sesame paste and ginger and is known for its spiciness. FOOD

13.  Chinese kung fu is a large system of theory and practice. It combines techniques of self-defense and health-keeping. KUNG FU

14.  Your Chinese Zodiac sign is derived from your birth year.  People born in a certain animal year are believed to have attributes of that animal. ZODIAC SIGNS

15.  It is day one month one of the Chinese lunar calendar, and its date in January or February varies from year to year. CHINESE NEW YEAR